Thursday, December 09, 2004

Sick kids

OK, I am discovering that being a WOHM ain't no kinda life when you have sick kids. It bites. Abe has had two sick days this week (cough, then ear infection) and in order to accommodate both Glenn's schedule and mine, we have gone to this ultra killer schedule. Glenn gets up and goes to work at 5. Works until 12. I try to do some work from home (HA!) and go in at 12. Work until 6 while he tries to do some work from home.

Theoretically Glenn is supposed to be the one to take care of sick days since he is the student with the "flexible" schedule. But he is presenting at a major conference next week and just cannot take days off right now.

In the evening we both collapse. Last night I went to bed at 8:30, with a terrible headache and a terrible fear that I am going to get sick. (Feel better today, thank heaven!) That means that for the first time ever I knowingly, purposefully skipped Enrichment. (Sometimes I forget but I have never before just decided not to go!) I just couldn't hack it.

My sick leave is gone from previous doctor appointments, etc. for the kids. If I get sick MYSELF I am screwed.

And did I mention that my inlaws are coming this weekend, my husband will be gone all next week, and there are only 3 weeks left until Christmas? I'm so stressed.

How do you guys handle these kinds of days?

1 comment:

jamie said...

Man do those sick days cause problems for working mama's!! I have 13 sick days per year with the school district but last year while working for a private school I had a total of 3 sick days for the entire school year! What is that? 3 days total for a mom with 3 kids!

When my kids were younger I was directing their childcare co-op and many days they would just hang out with me in my office, how terrible is that! I distinctly remember my mom pampering me when I was sick and my kids are gonna remember sitting in my office wanting to go home ~~~sigh~~~ I had to go to my office to run payroll right after my son had outpatient surgery (ear drum replacement) one time because hubby could not get off to take him home and I had no other check signer avail to run payroll for me that day, that was pathetic to say the least but such was life at the time I guess, he did get a TON of sympathy from lots of folks that afternoon and he enjoyed that but still....... :(

Nowdays my husband and I do a juggling act similar to yours Ana......turn taking as it were, who has the most time off avail, who is doing what at work, etc

Lucky for me (?!?) my kids have been in child care since they were babies so they now have fairly hearty immune systems and usually are out of school for about 2-3 days each during the school year. Also my oldest is 16 and he stays home alone when he is sick (which only happened once last year and hasn't happened yet this year).